Middle Level 4-8

Middle Level Education 4-8

The Pennsylvania State certification requirements have recently been changed to redefine
the former Elementary Education certification (grades K-6) as Elementary & Middle
Level Education certification, now grades 4 - 8 (ages 9 - 13).This degree will prepare you to be certified to teach in grades 4 - 8. You will select
a content specialty area such as Language Arts/English, Mathematics, Science, Social
Studies, or a combination of two of the areas. A strong foundation of teaching methodology
is combined with many diverse classroom experiences beginning your freshman year for
practical, hands-on learning in a variety of socio-economic and racial/ethnic settings
and including special needs students.

Accreditations

Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)

National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)

In your senior year, you will take a block of courses and experiences devoted entirely
to the methods of teaching and classroom management. The student teaching semester
will place you in two different classrooms for seven weeks each where you will be
responsible for teaching the class under the supervision of an experienced teacher.
Your assignments will usually be within a 50-60 mile radius of the LHU campus. You
may also choose to student teach abroad at one of our partner universities in such
countries as Australia, Ireland, England, Spain and Croatia.

The current retirements of “baby boom” generation teachers is creating a high demand
for teachers at all levels. Many of our graduates have secured immediate employment
upon graduation in schools throughout Pennsylvania and across the country.

Special Education Certification Program

Certification in special education prepares you to teach persons with mental and physical
disabilities. This includes individuals diagnosed with learning disabilities, mental
retardation, physical disabilities, brain injuries, and emotional or behavior disorders.

Any Early Childhood, Middle Level, or Secondary Education major can choose to take
courses leading to special education certification. The dual certification program
follows a planned sequence of courses that has been designed to meet the Pennsylvania
State guidelines for certification in both areas. Special education certification
parallels the chosen content certification: preschool through grade 6, or grade 7
through grade 12.

Dual Certification

You will increase your marketability for future employment by completing coursework
and field experiences for a dual degree. This will provide you excellent preparation
for inclusionary classrooms, as well as for part-time and full-time special education
settings. You will have practical classroom experiences from your freshman year through
your senior year student teaching placements. During your 15 week student teaching
experience, you will have the opportunity to teach both typical and special needs
students, supervised by certified instructors in the content area as well as in special
education. LHU graduates in special education have an excellent history of securing
teaching positions immediately upon graduation throughout the state of Pennsylvania
and nationally.

Minor - Special Education

This minor is designed for education majors who want to gain additional knowledge
and skills in teaching children with disabilities, but do not desire certification
in Special Education. It can also be valuable to other human service majors such as
Social Work, Recreation, and Psychology.